Community organization 517 Living (517Living.com) has been promoting goodness in the Greater Lansing (517) Michigan Area since 2014. Founded by Sarah Pierce, the website and social platform uses its ONE Calendar to build awareness of the Best Events happening throughout the year.
In 2022 Pierce introduced the prestigious merit 517 Living Community Member of the Month, bestowing the honor to Noel Jesse Heikkinen of Riverview Church in March of 2023.
In this interview Noel shares details about who he is, what he does, and what he loves about living in the Greater Lansing Michigan Area.
Who are you?
My name is Noel Jesse Heikkinen, and I am one of the pastors at Riverview Church (Riv). I grew up in St. Johns and have lived nearly all my life in the Lansing area. My wife, Grace, and I have four adult children and a son-in-law.
If you own or represent a business or organization, tell us about it or them.
At Riv, we like to say that we invite everyone to know and enjoy Jesus as we stumble together in our pursuit to love like him. We are acutely aware we don’t have everything figured out, but we know that Jesus offers life, and we want to do our best to love people the way he does.
To that end, we seek to be active in the community and united in diversity. We believe we were created to be interconnected with others, which extends to our surrounding community. We are working on building bridges with those who share many of the same values we do and even those who don’t. We are all part of this community and should be able to rally around the things we share while standing firm in our beliefs.
Tell us about a recent uplifting experience you had in the Greater Lansing Area.
I am a lifelong Spartan and, along with our community, was deeply heartbroken by the shootings that occurred on campus. Yet, as I stood tearfully on campus at the vigil by the rock, I felt a camaraderie with thousands of people who are wildly different than me but share a love of Michigan State and the Lansing area. I felt the same thing at the home basketball game at the Breslin Center a few days later. I genuinely believe this moment can start a change in our community, addressing the gun violence that has plagued our city and bridging the ideological views that divide us. We don’t have to agree on everything to partner together for the good of our city. I sense we are more ready for that than I have seen in my half-century.
What’s the most recent “new” (to you) local business or organization you’ve enjoyed discovering?
The birria tacos at Taqueria El Chaparrito are to die for. I have no idea how long that place has been there, but I love it.
What is one thing (big or small) that you love about living in the Greater Lansing Area?
Growing up in the Greater Lansing Area, there used to be a pervasive negative tone about our city. Most people I interacted with couldn’t wait to get out of here. However, I have seen this change decisively over the last decade and a half. There are so many reasons to love Lansing that I can’t keep it to just one. Here are a few:
The “Below the Stacks” murals across our city (especially Royal Dog‘s contribution just off Pere Marquette Dr)
Campbell’s Smoke Shop in East Lansing has unique pipe tobacco blends mixed locally by tobacconist Josh.
Michigan State (Go Green)
The people at Riverview Church (I know I am biased)
Biking the River Trail
Getting lost (literally) at Horrocks Farm Market
Brian Caskey at Caskey’s Classic Barbershop is the only guy I trust with my beard. | By Sarah Pierce
Sarah Pierce is the founder of the website and social platform 517Living. Promoting goodness and the best events in the Greater Lansing (517) Michigan Area, the process of building the platform helped Pierce overcome social anxiety, gave her a more purposeful life, and introduced her to the fascinating behind-the-scenes movers and shakers of her community who are much more “walk” than talk! 517 Living has enriched Pierce’s life, and she hopes it does the same for you.
